Chapter TwentyIan
Chapter Twenty
Ian
The second she stepped out of the house, I had her movements on point. I’d been too fucking far away to get to her. Jack and I had been tracking Jacob Abernathy who had been dropped from the med school program after misconduct three weeks ago along. This morning, his whereabouts were unknown.
Unfortunately, an explosion on the docks has kept us distracted enough to drop the ball. The second she sent out the distress message to Claudia, I knew it had to do with Jacob. My men are already on their way to her location, and I am only five minutes behind them. Jack has gone to the hospital to check with Dr. Fisher to learn more details.
A call comes in from my phone. “Son.” It’s my real father.
“She’s in the train yard on Kedzie.” He drops me the location, even though I have her tracker leading me to the exact location.
“On my way. I’ve got it. Don’t do anything dumb,” I tell him. He’s more unhinged than I am. We both have so much built up hatred for Jack Sr. that we’re both liable to do something insane.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to her. I promise.” I send up a silent prayer that shit goes down safely and I get my woman back. I promised I’d protect her, and I failed. My heart races, and I do my best to calm it down because I have to stay steady. Calista needs the killer who moves professionally, not emotionally.
I slip my earpiece in as I pull into the location and cut my engine.
I walk the rest of the fifty feet. “Come on, Ian boy, bring your bitch ass in here. You want your little love to survive, you better come here and die like you should have the first time.”
My eyes scan the tops of the buildings, looking for his hit squad, and I see that bitch Detective Lopez sitting at the top building on the left with a scope on me. Then I see Johnny with his shot lined right at her. I wave my finger at him, and he hits the target, dropping her with one shot. She collapses effortlessly. Good.
“Oops,” I called out from a safe position.
He chuckles as if we didn’t drop his little bitch. “No big deal—a fucking loose end. Thanks for taking care of that problem. One less person to pay.”
“Funny, you don’t have any money in the first place,” I holler from behind the wall.
“That’s where you’re wrong, and that’s what we’re going to correct today.”
“Now, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”
“I have something you treasure.” He thinks I’m going to pay for her return. I’m not letting him live regardless.
“You’re playing a fucking twisted game. She’s Carlo Vitale’s daughter. You’re not only threatening my fiancée, but his most treasured baby.”
“That’s the way I get my money. You pay with your life, and he pays with his bills.” Wow, he’s got a serious case of brass balls.”
“It’s one against two right now,” I say, knowing that’s a lie.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’re outnumbered.” I can’t believe he really thinks that.
“You mean that little bitch that helped you kidnap my woman? And the little pussy Jakey-boy?” I asked.
“I’m not a pussy. I had your woman’s tight hole already. Talk about good pussy,” he shouts from the corner of a building on the right. Losing my shit, I jump from my hiding spot and unload my weapon without hesitation, shooting Jacob in the chest and in the head.
“Damn, that was cold,” my former caregiver says, but my eyes lock on the sight before me.
My heart constricts at the sight before me. My enemy has my most treasured possession, the greatest love of my life, at his mercy. Everything I hoped and dreamed for is right in front of me and could be gone in a second. Jack Senior has his hands on her, ready to steal her life.
I want him gone from this earth, but not more than having her in my existence. Calista is everything to me and more, and nothing my father could do would be worth risking her life.
“Let her go, and I’ll let you walk out of here,” I tell him. I really want to blow his head off, but I don’t have much choice. He has her by the throat with a gun to her head.
“I think I’ll take her with me. You know, as a little insurance policy. You’re a big pussy who would rather let me leave than risk her life. What a fucking chump. That’s the reason your mother died. She was weak and pathetic. She’d rather protect her children than just run. There was no way in hell I’d let her get away with ruining my life and taking you guys. I’d rather watch you all burn than let her win. She made her motherfucking choice, and now it’s your turn.”
“No, Jack. This time it’s not up to him. It’s up to me. I let you get away the first time. I let you ruin the love of my life; I allowed you to destroy any peace and happiness I had. Not anymore.” I stare in shock and fear as Saunders challenges my father from the other side. He’s still holding my darling close, and I’m afraid that he’s going to accidentally snap and kill her. My blood runs cold, but at the same time, I’m proud that he finally stepped up and did something against my father.
Everything happens so fast. Gunfire opens up, and it’s time for me to move. I want to watch him bleed, but she is more important. I snatch Calista up in my arms, carrying her as fast as I can away from danger. They probably will take care of that dirty son of a bitch before I can. I want my hands on him so bad. There isn’t anything in the world I wouldn’t do, except for leaving her alone again.
I lead her out of the area and back to my SUV to get her to safety. Quickly I drive down the road and once we’re out of the danger zone, I pull over and check her body for any serious injuries.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” I whisper. I kiss the top of her head, hugging her tightly, a little too tightly when she yelps. “Damn it, I’m so sorry.”
“Ian, I’m okay. I promise. None of this was your fault—none of it. I was stupid. I can’t believe that I fell for the lies and manipulation.”
“No, baby, we’ve all been there. Trust me when I say we’ve all been there.”
“What’s going to happen now?” she asks, her voice shaky and tired.
I caress her hip, hoping that I don’t hurt her. “Right now?” She nods. “Well, we’re going to go home, then I’m going to take you in the shower to clean off this mess. Then I’m going to tuck you in bed where you belong.”
“Wonderful because there is nowhere else I’d want to be, and I’m not leaving any time soon.”
“I’m glad, because I have no intention of ever letting you go.” She leans in and kisses my lips tenderly. I brush mine against hers, but I remember to be careful because her top lip is busted.
I hear squad cars nearby and I know we have to get moving. “We need to get you home.”
An hour later, I have her inside our bathroom shower, naked and in my arms as we wash away the memories of today as best as we can. The water washes over our bodies, heat pooling all around us. I want to be inside her, but taking care of her needs is more important than my own. She moans as I scrub her down, careful not to touch the bruises so hard. Still, I’m so much larger than her small frame, and no matter what I do, I feel like I’m causing her extra pain.
“I’m so sorry; I’m trying to be gentle.”
“No, Ian, I need you to touch me. I need you to make me feel alive. Please don’t stop.”
“Baby, please be careful what you say. I can’t stop this desire washing over me, and my hunger for you is a little too crazy right now. I want to be inside you beyond belief. It’s been only a day, and it feels like an eternity.”
“It’s been the same for me. I need you so much. When I was trapped, all I could do was hope that you’d come for me, find me…before…”
“Please, baby. If you keep telling me about it, I’ll leave you here and finish what I planned.”
“Please don’t go. I need you, Ian. Please take me, touch me, fuck me, love me. Do whatever you will. I just need you to not stop.”
I slowly entered her. Our movements are unhurried and unsteady as I thrust into her. Our bodies are tight against each other, breathing harsh as tears fall from both of us. “I love you so much, Calista,” I choke out, kissing her throat.
“Fill me up. Make me feel alive, Ian. Make me feel loved.”
“Always.” My arms wrap so tightly around her, as if she’ll disappear. I continue to rut into her depths, lifting her feet off the ground as I pump into her. “Who do you belong to?”
“You.”
“Who will protect you?”
“You.”
“Who will die for you?”
“You.”
“Don’t ever scare me like that again. Damn it. Don’t you dare.” I choke on my sobs as I slam her body against the shower stall and fuck her hard. “Do you understand me?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Her pussy flutters around my cock, clenching, and she cries out my name. “Ian, Ian.”
“Fuck,” I roar, shooting my cum deep inside her, each roll of my hips more violent than the last one until I’m done. Then, I rest my head on the back of hers. “I’m sorry for not being there.”
“No, it’s my fault. Never again will I not take your orders seriously. Maggie played me.”
“She’ll pay too.” She slips from under me, and then I move a little so she can look me in the eye.
She slams her lips to mine. “Can I kill her?”
“You don’t want that to damage your soul.”
“My soul is already dark. I just hide it.” I stare at her like she doesn’t know what she’s saying.
“Do you still want to marry me?”
“That’s the stupidest question in the world,” I say. “I can’t live without you. You’re going to marry me whether you want to or not. I don’t care if I have to force your ass down the aisle.”
“I wanted to slice open Cordova and would have if he had bothered me a moment longer. I had my blade on me. It’s why I didn’t want to marry a man like my father. I was tempted to be bad.” I smile at her.
“You’re welcome to let the dark side out at any time.”
We dress, and then we receive a visit from Jack.
“How did it go?” I ask when he walks in.
“I’m sorry, but Dad is dead,” he sighs.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Calista says.
“It is when he wanted to do the honors,” Jacks answers. Damn right I wanted to do the honors.
“So what happened?”
“Well, we were able to make it look like dad had lost control of his people that he was working with. Unfortunately, you weren’t the only one played today. Your friend Maggie was too. After she lured you in for the job by Jacob, she had been killed and stuffed into another box we just switched out the boxes, destroying yours. Thanks to the detective all the cameras were disabled in the railroad yard, so it was like the OK Corral and only those that lived could tell the story.
“So we’re good?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Oh,” she says, brushing my chest. “Thanks, Jack.”
“No problem. We’re family, Calista.” He smiles and then leaves.